


How an Angel Falls

by caterinawrites



Series: Written in the Stars [4]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angel Kim, Angst, Fantasy AU, Fluff, Kimax - Freeform, M/M, angel au, one of the happier endings in this series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 16:17:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15934031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caterinawrites/pseuds/caterinawrites
Summary: Angels had one rule: Never interact with the humans, but when Kim saves the life of a young scientist, he finds that some rules are better off broken.





	How an Angel Falls

**Author's Note:**

> It's Speedgamer September, yall! And I'm staring another story in my fantasy series! I am still going to finish Within the Garden Walls and Midnight Rose, don't you worry. But this story has some important set up for the eventual combination of all the stories, so I hope you enjoy it!!

Chapter 1

To be an angel, you must abide by one rule: Never interact with humans.

For the most part, angels were free to do as they pleased so long as they remained out of sight of the inhabitants of the earth, but Kim had grown tired of spending his days fluttering through the clouds. Sure, his friends were there, and he had an unsurpassable lead in cloud-ball, but Kim had come to find life as an angel a bit…dull.

More and more he found himself looking forward to the times when they went down below, watching over the citizens and protecting them from harm. Naturally, they remained intangible and invisible to the human eye, simply implanting thoughts or gently nudging them in the right direction to avoid harm, but life below was so much more exciting and lively. He wanted to experience pain and taste the food that always smelled so tantalizing when he’d fly past an open window. For once in his life, he wanted to be seen.

But such things were forbidden, and he knew as much, so he spent his days sneaking peeks through the clouds, hoping to catch a glimpse of their activities. Singing, dancing, swimming, laughing. He once made the mistake of bringing it up to the Guardian, and he still regretted it to this day.

“Master Fu,” He had called one sunny afternoon, gliding over to where the old man meditated. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, Kim,” Master Fu nodded, blinking open his eyes and folding his hands in his lap neatly. “What is on your mind?”

“Why can’t we talk to humans?” He asked, resting his chin on his fists, and Master Fu straightened, his kind smile falling into a solemn frown.

“Kim, we have one rule,” He said patiently, though his eyes carried a fire that Kim had never seen before.

“I know, I know, but _why_? What’s so wrong with humans? They seem pretty happy to me,” He said, rubbing the back of his neck and flinching when the old master stood up.

“Are you not happy here, Kim?” He asked smoothly, masking the anger in his voice. “Have I not provided you with everything that you need?”

“That’s not what I meant-”

“Here you cannot feel pain or sorrow. You never feel the ache of hunger nor the itch of thirst. Never once have you been burned by flames or bitten by ice,” Master Fu said harshly. “You have everything you need to be happy here. Have you grown tired of our way of life? Would you like to clip your wings and spend your life down on earth?”

“No, Master!” He gaped in horror, shrinking back under his fierce gaze. “I just don’t see why it’s such a big deal-”

“Do you think that a human could understand you?” Master Fu’s tone changed, and he leaned back, clasping his hands together behind his back. “Humans might seem kind and gentle to you, Kim, but they are capable of so much harm. Angels possess a magic that cannot be abused, and when humans discover power, they grasp it with all of their might until they squeeze out every last drop.”

“Oh.” Kim deflated, shifting his gaze to his lap.

“We must never let them know of our existence, or they could wipe out our kind for good.” Master Fu stated with a cutting finality.

“I see,” Kim said, trailing his fingers through the cloud beneath him.

“Kim.” He looked up into the Guardian’s serious frown. “Don’t ever ask to speak to the humans again.”

“Yes, Master.”

Ever since that day, he kept his fascination a secret. Sure, angel life could be boring at times, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world. If Master Fu found out that he spent extra time watching the humans, he’d clip his wings for sure. Even still, he did often wonder what it would be like to be human, and he wished that he could spend just one day down there. That might be enough to sate his appetite.

“Kim?” He startled a little at the voice over his shoulder, flipping around to find curious green eyes hovering over him.

“Ondine!” He said guiltily, sitting up stiffly, and she fluttered back out of his way. “You surprised me.”

“What are you doing all the way out here?” She asked, glancing around.

“Oh nothing, just, um, meditating,” He lied, rubbing the back of his neck.

“While laying down?” She cocked a brow, an amused smirk curling on her lips. “Sounds more like a nap to me.”

“You caught me.” He shrugged, and she let out a triumphant giggle.

“Well, I hope you’re rested because we’re about to start a game of cloud-ball. Do you want to join us?” She offered hopefully, and Kim pursed his lips, casting a longing glance over the edge of his cloud before letting out a short sigh.

“Yeah. Be right there.”

Kim wanted more than the life he had. He wanted to see more, do more, experience the world, but part of him also didn’t want to give up his life as an angel. Why couldn’t he have the best of both worlds? Why wasn’t there some middle ground? Why did everything in his life have to be so black and white?

“What’s on your mind?” Ondine asked later as they lounged together on a cloud.

“Nothing,” Kim replied glumly, lying on his stomach and resting his head on his arms.

“Doesn’t sound like nothing. You look down,” She said, rolling onto her side and prodding him.

“Yeah, that’s kind of my problem,” He grumbled under his breath, and Ondine’s face fell worriedly. “Can you keep a secret?” Her eyebrows raised in surprise, but she nodded in affirmation, so he leaned in closer. “I can’t stop thinking about humans.”

“Kim, it’s forbidden!” She gasped, sitting up, and Kim shot up, clamping a hand over her mouth and shushing her frantically.

“Keep it down!” He hissed, and she stared at him with wide eyes.

“Kim, you know it’s against the rules,” She whispered when he removed his hand.

“I know! But I can’t help it. I’m not planning on doing anything, I just…Sometimes I wish that things were different,” He said, rolling back onto his stomach and peeking over the edge down to the city below. “They’re fascinating to me.”

“Just promise me that you won’t do anything stupid. Master Fu will clip your wings,” She pleaded, and Kim glanced up at her with a small smile, extending a pinkie out to her.

“I promise,” He said, and she relaxed a little, linking her finger with his.

“Good. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you. You’re my best friend.” She blushed, averting her gaze shyly.

“Don’t worry about me. I’d never give up my wings for real. I’m curious, but not enough to do anything about it,” He assured her. “I’m sure I’ll get over it eventually. C’mon, let’s head back to the palace.”

“You sure do love to flirt with danger, Kim,” Ondine remarked as they flew, and his laugh echoed across the sky.

“Life’s more fun that way,” He called, swirling around in loops. “Hey, watch this!”

He swooped down abruptly, flipping over onto his back and spreading his arms out into a free fall, catching himself after a moment and shooting back up through the cloud. Ondine laughed as he waggled his eyebrows around his cloud beard, though their attention was quickly diverted by a flock of birds flying below them.

“Whoa, look at those!” Kim gasped, an awed grin curling on his lips. “Let’s follow them!”

“Kim, we should really be getting back now!” Ondine called after him in vain as he darted after them, and after a moment of hesitation, she followed. “Kim!”

He hovered just above the flock, watching them squawk and flap their wings in unison, a chuckle bubbling up from his chest. Earth was full of interesting creatures, and he shifted his gaze down to the surface just briefly, catching a glimpse of movement in the trees below. Someone was down there!

He stopped short, causing Ondine to nearly plow into him, and fixed his gaze on the forest below. She followed his line of sight, a frown screwing on her lips.

“Kim,” She said with a warning tone.

“He’s all alone. Something could happen to him,” He said defensively, and Ondine gave him a disapproving look. “I’m not going to interact with him. I’m just gonna make sure he gets home okay. That’s our job, right? Making sure no harm comes to innocent people?”

“Fine, but don’t interact with him!” Ondine said seriously, and Kim rolled his eyes.

“I’m not stupid, Ondine,” He retorted, placing his hands on his hips. “I’ll meet you back at the palace as soon as I’m done.”

She watched him soar down with a reluctant pout, debating whether she should follow him or not. Kim was reckless and goofy, but she trusted that he had enough sense to keep that promise, so she turned away and headed home, leaving him to his own devices.

Kim landed on a tree limb a little ways up the path from the young man and watched intently as he stooped to examine a plant. He was shorter than Kim which he found adorable, and he wore a pair of thick rimmed glasses and a large backpack. What was he doing out in the woods all alone? Wasn’t it dangerous? Regardless, Kim was here to protect him now, and he supposed that man was lucky to have him even if he had no idea.

Feeling a bit daring, he moved closer to look over the man’s shoulders into the journal he was writing in. It’s not like he could see Kim anyway, so there was no harm in peeking. Kim watched as he scribbled down some notes before clipping off a stem from the plant and closing it between the pages of his notebook before putting it away in his bag and continuing on. Humans were odd, and Kim wondered what the purpose of his behavior was, though he knew he’d likely never find out. It was incredibly frustrating, and the temptation to reveal himself grew stronger with each passing minute. He supposed popping out of nowhere would frighten the poor guy, so he fell back a little to lower his temptation.

Although the man’s actions were incredibly mundane, Kim found himself enthralled by every movement. Humans were so delicate and cute, and he found himself chuckling giddily when the man’s brow creased in focus as he scribbling in his notebook. He’d never felt this bubbly feeling about a human before. Sure, he always took interest in their lives, but something about this one in particular made his stomach perform little flips. He could have watched him clipping samples of plants for hours, but the man stared down at his notes, too engrossed to notice the cliff up ahead.

Not a problem. Kim thought, whispering into his ear to look up, but the man’s focus couldn’t be broken no matter how many impulses Kim supplied, and he swiftly began to panic. If he didn’t do something, the man was going to fall, but it wasn’t like he could touch him! Kim was running out of time, and his usual techniques weren’t working. Angels were only allowed to meddle so much before they just allowed nature to take its course, but Kim didn’t want that to happen. Not to this one.

He held his breath as the man stepped over the edge, yelping in surprise as he scrambled to grab onto the cliff, his notebook plunging down into the trees below. Glancing over his shoulder at the drop, he swallowed hard before attempting to gain his footing. Kim flitted down to help, supplying secure footholds, but each time they broke as the man kicked and squirmed. He was losing his grip, and Kim was running out of options. Perhaps there was nothing he could do to save this one; fate had staked its claim, but as the man cried out for help, Kim felt his heart wrench. His fingers scraped the dirt, unable to maintain their grip, and when his foot slipped, he lost any semblance of control, falling backward down to the trees below.

Kim’s mind shut off, instincts taking over as he dove after him, and in a flash of light, he made himself tangible, grasping the small man in his arms and flipping over. He grunted as they hit the trees, Kim taking a majority of the damage as they tumbled through the branches, eventually hitting the ground. They laid their dazed before the man sat up, scrambling away from Kim with wide eyes, stuttering incoherently as Kim sat up and rubbing his back.

“Y-Y-You’re-” He pointed a shaking hand, and Kim glanced down at his hands curling his shoulders a little then wincing in pain as his wings shifted. “You’re hurt.”

Kim touched his right wing gently, hissing as a stinging sensation pricked its way up his spine. Was this what pain felt like? He wasn’t a fan, but he had much bigger problems to attend to than a busted wing.

“And you’re not,” He said, standing up with a labored grunt. “You’re welcome.”

“You saved me,” The man stated, looking him up and down as he limped away.

“Yeah, don’t mention it,” He said, waving it away. “Seriously, don’t mention it. To anyone. Just forget you even saw me.”

“Who are you?” The man asked, following after him, which was relatively easy with how slow he was moving.

“That’s classified,” He said, focusing on moving forward, but the pain radiating from his wings was too much.

“Are you my guardian angel?” The man tilted his head to the side.

“Something like that.” Kim stopped and leaned against a tree, clutching his side with labored heaves.

“Remarkable,” He gasped, trailing his fingers over Kim’s feathers, and his skin pricked at his touch. “Sorry, you’re in pain. Let me help you. My house isn’t too far from here.”

“I can’t.” Kim shook his head. “Technically, you were never even supposed to see me, so this is already bad enough. I can’t risk being spotted by someone else.”

“Well, I’m the only person who walks around these woods. The townspeople are all too afraid of monsters, but the local fauna is just incredible out here,” The man replied with a distant smile before shaking himself. “I live alone, so there’s no risk of anyone else spotting you.” When Kim hesitated, he added, “You saved my life, now let me save yours.”

Kim weighed his options carefully. On one hand, this was the opportunity he’d always been waiting for. A chance to experience life on earth for a day, but on the other hand, Master Fu was going to kill him when he found out. That is… _if_ he found out. Kim supposed there was no reason that Master Fu needed to find out about all of this, and going home with a busted wing was sure to stir up suspicion.

“Fine. You can fix my wing, but then I need to go,” He said decisively.

“Excellent. Follow me,” The man said, pointing onward. “My name is Max by the way. What’s yours?”

“Kim,” He answered after a moment, pursing his lips.

“Nice to meet you, Kim,” Max said with a smile, reaching a hand back, and Kim’s heart stirred in his chest. He’d seen humans exchange these hand touches many times, though he never quite understood the meaning behind it, but he was eager to experience it himself first hand, so he placed his hand in Max’s and gave it a shake.

“So you live out here?” Kim asked conversationally, glancing around at all of the trees. “Alone?”

“Well, I suppose I’m not entirely alone,” Max said, and Kim felt his spine stiffen, though he clutched his shoulder as it burned under the exertion. “See I’ve always been a little more…open-minded, shall we say? Magical creatures are kind of a taboo topic in the kingdom, but I wanted to study them. So, I moved out here, and kind of made a little refuge for injured creatures.”

He parted the bushes and stepped out into a clearing where a large mansion rested, and Kim gaped up at it, impressed. Vines crept up the sides of the house, and many of the bricks were missing, but Kim could see where Max had patched up windows and repaired steps. As they approached, Kim noticed tiny fairies tending to flowers in the garden, and he flinched as a large centaur hammered a board in place around the back.

“I’ve made quite a lot of friends living out here, and they’ve helped me restore this place a little bit,” He explained as Kim stared around in amazement. “So you don’t have to worry about me telling anyone of your existence because I’ve got my own secrets to keep.”

Kim followed him inside the house and over to the east wing where Max’s study rested. He glanced around at all of the books and journals scattered around on nearly every surface. Flipping up the cover of one, he noticed Max’s familiar handwriting and let it shut with a thump.

“Did you write all these?” He asked as Max dug for medical supplies in a cabinet.

“They’re all my notes. I’ve been researching the creatures and plant life out here for several years,” He said over his shoulder, and Kim caught sight of a woman sitting in the window, nearly jumping out of his skin.

“Might I assist?” She offered, and Max glanced up with a smile.

“Yes, thank you, Mireille,” He said, pacing over with a basket of bandages and bottles. “Mireille is a water spirit that lives in the river nearby. She helps me tend to all of the injured beings in this forest.”

“Oh.” Kim watched intently as they rummaged through the supplies and examined his wing.

“They’re very similar to a bird’s wings,” Mireille remarked, lifting his feathers delicately. “The break seems to be clean enough, we can reset it easily then he should be able to mend it with his own healing abilities.”

“Angels can heal?” Max’s eyebrows raised in surprise, and Kim shrank a little, glaring skeptically at Mireille.

“How do you know so much about angels?” He asked harshly, and she smiled innocently.

“Nymphs and angels used to converse a lot in the olden days,” She said, averting her gaze sadly. “Things are much different now, but I still hear stories.”

“I knew that other creatures existed in the world, but the Guardian isn’t too worried about them. We’re only charged with looking after humans,” He stated, catching himself and pressing his lips into a firm line.

“Who is this Guardian? How many of you are there?” Max inquired, but Kim turned away stubbornly.

“We’re forbidden from interacting with humans. It’s like our number one rule. If people got their hands on our abilities…it could be bad,” He said, shifting his gaze to the plant in the corner, and Max slumped a little but nodded in understanding.

“Very well,” He said, moving behind Kim and running a hand along his wing. “Let’s get you fixed up then.”

Kim yelped in pain as he and Mireille pushed his wing back into place, twitching it slightly before pressing a glowing palm to it. He sighed in relief as his magic worked through his bones, erasing any damage before he stretched his wing out carefully. Max eyed him excitedly, and for once, Kim realized how uncomfortable it was to stare at someone like that. Though he supposed out of anyone Max deserved this revenge considering that’s what got Kim into this mess in the first place.

“Incredible,” Max murmured, examining Kim’s wing before he tucked it behind him once more. “Absolutely incredible.”

“Anyway, I should get going,” He said, standing up abruptly, and Max deflated a little, tapping the tips of his fingers together.

“Can’t you stay a little longer?” Max requested hopefully, and Kim scanned the room with a hesitant wince.

There was a lot left that he wanted to experience, but Ondine would grow suspicious if he stayed out much longer. And Kim really didn’t want to tell her that he screwed up and did the one thing he promised he wouldn’t.

“I wish I could, but I can’t,” He said with a sigh. “Angels aren’t supposed to interact with humans. I’m already pressing my luck by being here.”

“Very well.” Max nodded, hugging his arms to his waist. “Thank you for saving me, Kim, and if things ever change…I’d love to learn more about you.”

Kim remained silent as he moved back out front, spreading his wings and hovering a little. More than anything he wanted to go back and ask so many questions, but he pictured Master Fu’s steely glare and pushed the thought from his mind. It couldn’t happen, so he supposed that he should just be grateful that he got his wish, even for a little while, and as he soared back into the sky, he refused to let himself look back.


End file.
